Jim Costa: “I draw attention to the human right to have water to sustain ourselves. Benjamin Franklin once said about this precious…”

“I draw attention to the human right to have water to sustain ourselves. Benjamin Franklin once said about this precious resource, water, that ``When the well's dry, we know the worth of water.'' In the San Joaquin Valley, I can tell you we know the worth of water. It is the lifeblood of our Valley communities and our agricultural economy. We like to say, Where water flows, food grows. The Valley is one of the most advanced agricultural regions in the world. We produce over 250 crops that provide over 50 percent of the United States' fruits and vegetables on America's dinner table every night. The bounty of nature of food that we produce is coaxed out of the ground by some of the hardest working people you will ever meet, farmers and farmworkers, and it relies on a clean and reliable water resource. And America's food supply, make no mistake about it, is a national security issue. I have spent decades working for commonsense short- and long-term solutions to address California's broken water system. When I served in the California legislature, I carried multiple bonds that were passed that provided over $2 billion for crucial water projects.…”